1. Field of the Invention
For many years, one of the problems faced by the managers of taverns and cocktail lounges results from the difficulty of keeping track of the bottles of liquor used by bartenders as they dispense drinks. In a typical establishment, when a bartender empties a bottle, he drops the empty bottle in a trash container and obtains a full bottle from a supply of bottles located nearby. Usually, he does not have to account to anyone for the new full bottles since he may be the only bartender on duty, or he may be one of several bartenders trying to service orders during a very busy period when there is no time for bottle-accounting operations.
The present system provides means for making a full bottle of liquor available to the bartender only after he disposes of an empty bottle containing the very same liquid, and this control means is so coordinated in the system that the dispensing of a full bottle and the recording of the disposal of the empty bottle is initiated by the bartender as he carries out his usual necessary step of disposing of an empty bottle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of container storing and dispensing devices are now in use. A typical installation is one in which a container having a beverage therein is dispensed when a person inserts a coin in a slot and pushes a control button. Such dispensing machines have been adapted for use in hotel rooms so that the person who has rented the room can select the drink or package of foodstuff that he desires, and actuate a switch or the like to cause the desired article to become available to him. Coins are not required in this type of hotel room dispenser since, as a container is withdrawn from the machine, a signal is sent to a central computing device which applies the proper unit cost to the transaction and makes a record of the transaction so that the hotel cashier can add the cost of all dispensed articles to the bill of the person when he checks out. U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,198, No. 4,075,463 and No. 3,884,386 disclose such systems and the use of central computers for various calculating operations. Central calculating and recording systems are used in the dispensing of fluids as for example in a typical serve-yourself gasoline service station. Such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,377 and a similar system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,947 which concern an arrangement for monitoring the dispensing of individual portions from liquor bottles by a bartender.